Toronto Maple Leafs: Is Nazem Kadri an Elite NHL Centre?

Nazem Kadri is paying early dividends for the Toronto Maple Leafs and after signing on for six seasons, it’s promising to see he is putting points on the board in a depth role.

After signing a six-year contract this past offseason for $27 million, it was clear the Toronto Maple Leafs were including Nazem Kadri in their long-term plans. He is ranked in the top 180 NHL salaries this season and was 124th in NHL scoring last season, so the signing appeared to be a good deal for the Buds.

I still had some skepticism about Kadri, since he has a -20 plus-minus rating and seemed to vanish for weeks at a time throughout his career. He also never lived up to his original expectations at becoming an elite goal scorer, after being drafted seventh overall in the 2009 NHL entry draft. He was often viewed as weak and too fancy, but he has emerged as a reliable depth player under the coaching of Mike Babcock.

Kadri’s best season as a Leaf came during the strike-shortened 2012-13 campaign, where Toronto actually made the playoffs. The season ended in heartbreak, as they lost to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 after holding a 4-1 lead halfway through the third period.

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However, things were looking promising moving forward, with the Leafs’ first playoffs appearance since the 2003-2004 season. Things were looking great for Kadri too, who scored 44 points in 48 regular season games and four more in seven playoff games.

Unfortunately for the Leafs, the following two campaigns were a complete failure for. This led to a lot of finger pointing and Kadri was no exception, especially since he produced just 50 points in 2013-14 and dipped again to 39 the next season.

Kadri accumulated just 89 points and was -18 over the two seasons, which is hardly elite. It appeared that he was going to be yet another Maple Leaf draft flop.

However, the 2015-16 season was monumental, because the Buds added arguably one of the best coaches in NHL history in Babcock. They also brought in Lou Lamoriello as the general manager and announced that they would be completely rebuilding.

After just one season, it looked like Kadri was transforming, not into an elite scorer, but into a disciplined two-way player. He had upped his point total to 45, but more notably, won 49.16 percent of face-offs.

The former OHL star’s previous season best was 46.15 percent. However, he did end the season with a career worst -15, so Leafs Nation couldn’t get too excited.

Mar 24, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman (11) congratulates forward Nazem Kadri (43) on scoring the winning goal against the Anaheim Ducks at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Anaheim 6-5 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

We must remember though, the Leafs have Babcock, Lamoriello, and Brendan Shanahan, who are three of the brightest and best hockey minds. So they must have been very pleased with the London, Ontario natives progression under the team’s new direction, hence why they rewarded him with a six-year extension.

This season, the six-foot centre is paying early dividends. He has accumulated eight points in his last eight games, including five goals.

It’s only 10 games into the season but after signing on for six seasons, it’s promising to see Kadri putting points on the board in a depth role. He is also even when it comes to his plus/minus rating. While he is certainly far from being considered elite, these are positive signs of growth and maturity.